Meet the New School Superintendent

Talk about multi-tasking.

James “Jay’’ Cummings has been juggling two jobs these days, both at or near the top of two school systems.

As he works diligently through the end of the school year as the assistant superintendent of schools in Shrewsbury, he also has an eye to his next job as Grafton’s new superintendent of schools.

He begins that job July 1, pending successful contract negotiations.

His new job puts him in the superintendent’s office. But he doesn’t plan to spend too much time there.

 “If I am doing my job right, I will hopefully be out of [the office] a lot,’’ he said.

He spends a good deal of his time interacting with students and teachers in the 9 schools in Shrewsbury. “The smaller nature of the town is going to make that very doable’’ in Grafton, he said.

Cummings grew up in Holliston and selected to raise his family in Grafton in part because the towns share similarities. They are comparable in size and are both “communities that are very close-knit,’’ safe and supportive of children, he said.

Prior to serving as Shrewsbury’s assistant superintendent of schools, he was principal  and vice principal of Walsh Middle School in Framingham and a teacher at Fuller Middle School in Framingham and in Lincoln, Chestnut Hill, Southboro and Fountain Hills, AZ.

Meeting people, hearing their concerns and making himself accessible to the community, both in and out of the schools, top his agenda. His lesson plan for his first months on the job look something like this.

Listen and learn. He hopes to meet with small groups and one-on-one with people to hear their concerns and hopes for the schools. That approach has served him well before, he said. He plans to have “hundreds’’ of these conversations before and after starting his job.

Become a fixture in the classrooms. He hopes that, if he pops into a classroom, activity will carry on as usual. “I should just be part of an organization,’’ he said. If teachers and students freeze or act uncomfortable in his presence, “there is a perception I am not part of the system.’’

Be known to students for more than calling snow days. That may be a student’s favorite part of his job, but he wants them to know it’s far from his only responsibility. As a student, he didn’t even know his superintendent’s name. “If I can lead like I hope to be leading, I hope to know the kids.’’